As we make our grand return to Lane Stadium and the trees around campus start dressing in Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon again, I can’t be the only one eager for crisp fall breezes and the air of comfort that comes with it. While I always enjoy a good Halloween movie night, baking cookies and decorating to get into the fall spirit, now that I’m a sophomore and have a car in Blacksburg, I’m looking forward to exploring all the fall festivities this area has to offer. Here are five events in the Blacksburg area that you can enjoy this fall.
- Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival
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When researching cute autumn events for my friends and me to attend, I came across the Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival in Christiansburg and immediately marked it down in my notes app. For $15.00 general admission, you not only get access to the best pumpkin patch in the Commonwealth, according to Virginia Tourism, but you can also enjoy live music, hayrides, a corn maze, food trucks and so much more. While soaking in the beauty of rural Virginia, you can get into the fall spirit with cider, hot chocolate, hand-dipped ice cream and their signature kettle corn, and you can keep the festivities going by bringing home a pumpkin to paint or carve. I’m definitely looking forward to exploring Sinkland Farms this October.
- Johnson’s orchard apple picking
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Located about an hour away from campus in Bedford, Virginia, Johnson’s Orchard offers one of my all-time favorite fall activities: apple picking. At the foothill of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this orchard has over 200 acres of apple trees, and they allow visitors to pick and take home a variety of fresh apples. In addition to apple picking, the orchard has numerous hiking trails you can explore, fresh farm produce available for purchase and a winery for anyone over 21 years old. Hopefully I can gather a solid selection of apples for my kitchen this fall.
- rising Silo Farm Brewery
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For anyone over the age of 21, Rising Silo Brewery is home to a tap-line of 10-14 organic malt beers right here in Blacksburg. Students of age can enjoy beer tastings while listening to live music and soaking in the scenic location. However, for those of you under 21, myself included, you can still enjoy the mountain view, pick up fresh veggies and dairy, try house-made sodas, cider, and coffee, and enjoy farm-to-table food by the fire-pits.
- Anthem GO outside festival
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One of the unique destinations I came across is the Anthem’s GO outside festival in Roanoke, an annual event to promote healthy living and encourage people to spend time outside. From October 13th-15th, the city of Roanoke puts on a wide variety of shows and activities including a demo pool with kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddle-boards, a lumberjack show with flying axes and chainsaws, a design-your-own tote bag stand, a silent-disco, and more fun ways to get outside and experience the Roanoke area. Not only that, but the Roanoke Outside Foundation and Roanoke Parks and Recreation offer all of these activities for free, so this festival is perfect for college students looking to have fun outside this fall without breaking the bank.
- Lyric Theatre Halloween Specials
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Last but not least, for those of you who do not have access to a car but still want to enjoy some fall-themed fun, the Lyric Theatre on Main Street offers some films to get you in the fall spirit. While they have not released the movie schedule for the month of October yet, they are showing the Halloween-themed horror movie, The Haunting in Venice, throughout September. More than just your typical movie theater, the Lyric offers cheap ticket prices and a small-town historic feel. Especially for freshmen looking to get acclimated to the area, the Lyric is an inexpensive and fun outing that can introduce you to the culture and historicity of the Blacksburg community.
Overall, I’m excited to take advantage of all the fall activities this area has to offer. We have four short years in the beauty and fall foliage of southwest Virginia, and I plan to make the most out of each of them.